Joaquin Phoenix is playing iconic Batman villain the Joker in a new standalone film. Warner Bros. greenlit the film last year with director Todd Phillips—best known for his work on The Hangover series and Old School—and it’ll be released in October 2019.
News broke in August 2017 that Phillips was developing a Joker-centric film that would be standalone and not part of the current DC Entertainment universe of movies, which includes films like Wonder Woman and Aquaman with Jason Momoa. While things are changing on the DC side—Henry Cavill as Superman might be done, and same with Ben Affleck as Batman—the company is excited about Wonder Woman 1984 and Momoa’s Aquaman film, which hit theaters in December 2018.
The new film, co-written by Phillips and Scott Silver (8 Mile), will be a “exploration of a man disregarded by society [that] is not only a gritty character study, but also a broader cautionary tale,” according to THR.
Many around the Internet and movie world might be wondering: “Do we really need another Joker after Heath Ledger and Jared Leto?” The answer is probably no, but hear us out—this project might have the chance to be something special due to having an actor like Phoenix in the role.
Here’s a new look at the Joker in the first teaser trailer:
Put on a happy face. #JokerMovie – in theaters October 4. pic.twitter.com/TxF3Jqxjjr
— Joker Movie (@jokermovie) April 3, 2019
Here’s everything you need to know about the Joker film.
